1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a system and method for measuring an amount of electric power consumption of a refrigerator and, more particularly to a system and method capable of decreasing the time required for measuring the amount of electric power consumption so as to reduce the power consumption according to the measurement of the amount of electric power consumption. The system and method accomplish an accurate, broad and excellent analysis of data relating to the amount of electric power consumption.
2. Related Art
As is well known, an electric refrigerator and an electric freezer must meet regulations as to the amount of electric power consumption of the electric refrigerator and the electric freezer in accordance with industrial standards which are provided by authorities of the government of each country. The electric refrigerator and the electric freezer are subjected to a test for measuring the amount of electric power consumption, as provided by the regulation of industrial standards so as to satisfy the regulations relating to the amount of electric power consumption. In the test for measuring the amount of electric power consumption, the amount of the electric power consumption in the electric refrigerator and the electric freezer is measured under test conditions provided by the regulations relating to industrial standards and calculated on the basis of a monthly average.
With respect to the electric refrigerator, the amount of electric power consumption is measured under the conditions that an average temperature is 3.+-.0.5.degree. C. in a refrigerating room with an atmospheric temperature of 30.+-.1.degree. C. being a reference temperature. With respect to the electric freezer, an average temperature in a freezing room is based on the type of freezing room, as shown in Table 1.
TABLE 1 ______________________________________ Temperature in the freezing room (.degree. C.) Type of freezing room one asters two asters three and four asters ______________________________________ average temperature -6 .+-. 0.5 -12 .+-. 0.5 -18 .+-. 0.5 ______________________________________
According to the test for measuring the amount of electric power consumption, the amount of electric power consumption in the electric refrigerator is measured by performing processes as described below for 24 hours, 48 hours, or 72 hours after approaching the safety state under atmospheric temperature of 30.+-.1.degree. C. The amount of electric power consumption is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh).
1. In principle, the test is carried out for 24 hours. If the defrosting operation, which is performed as a requirement at the start of the test, and an automatic defrosting operation, are completed twice or more than in the refrigerator, the test is performed for 24 hours. If the automatic defrosting operation is not present or carried out in the refrigerator, however, the test is continued for 48 hours. If the automatic defrosting operation is performed in the refrigerator in 24 hours, the test is completed once it has proceeded for 48 hours. Furthermore, if the automatic defrosting operation is not carried out in the refrigerator within 48 hours, the test is finished once the test has proceeded for 72 hours. The automatic defrosting operation is completed once the temperature in the freezing room reaches the temperature indicated in Table 1.
2. The defrosting operation is as follows:
A. If a manual defrosting operation must be started, the defrosting operation is not carried out. PA1 B. If the defrosting operation must be carried out in any other manner, the defrosting operation is required to be carried out at the starting time of the test. PA1 C. If it is impossible to carry out the defrosting operation, the time that the defrosting operation is automatically carried out is regarded as the starting time of the test. PA1 where Wd is the amount of electric power consumption for a day (KWh/day), Wy is the amount of electric power consumption for a year (KWh/year), and Wmy is the average amount of electric power consumption for a month (KWh/month). PA1 measuring an amount of electric power consumption and a time of a defrosting cycle in a refrigerator during operation of a defrosting heater after starting measurement of the amount of electric power consumption, and during two cycles of operating a compressor after operating the defrosting heater; PA1 measuring an average of the electric power consumption per cycle and an average of the operating time per cycle in the refrigerator during operation of refrigerating cycles after the defrosting cycle; and PA1 calculating the total amount of electric power consumption of the refrigerator in accordance with the following formula: ##EQU1## where n=1, 2, or 3, k=1 or 2, Wh represents the total amount of electric power consumption of the refrigerator, Whdef is the amount of electric power consumption during the defrosting cycle, DT represents a defrosting cycle time, CT is the average operation time per cycle, and Whln is the average amount of electric power consumption per refrigerating cycle. PA1 if the TCT&lt;1440, the integral number n is 1, PA1 if 1440.ltoreq.the TCT.ltoreq.2880, the integral number n is 2, and PA1 if 2880.ltoreq.the TCT, the integral number n is 3. PA1 if the TCT&lt;1440, the integral number k is 1, PA1 if 1440.ltoreq.the TCT.ltoreq.2880, the integral number k is 2, and PA1 if 2880.ltoreq.the TCT.ltoreq.4320 and the number of the defrosting cycles is 1, the integral number k is 1, if the number of the defrosting cycle is 2, the integral number k is 2. PA1 a device for measuring an amount of electric power consumption for a defrosting cycle, a time for performing the defrosting cycle, an average amount of electric power consumption for a refrigerating cycle, and an average time for performing the refrigerating cycle; PA1 a computer for processing respective data which are measured by the measuring device, for outputting a report and evaluation of a measuring test, and for transmitting the data on-line; and PA1 an interfacing device for transmitting the data measured by the measuring device in the form of electric signals to the computer, and for receiving electric signals from the computer to control the measuring device.
3. The test for measuring the amount of electric power consumption is carried out by operating an apparatus, such as a heater, to prevent dew from attaching to the walls of the refrigerating room. An additional device, having various functions, which has no effect on refrigeration, is also operated.
The amount of electric power consumption in the refrigerator, measured under the that condition described above, is calculated for a month using the following formulae: EQU Wy=Wd.times.365 EQU Wmy=Wy.div.12
The test for measuring the amount of electric power consumption is carried out in accordance with the Korean Standards, for example, KSC9305.
A system for measuring the amount of electric power consumption under the condition described above is disclosed below. Such a system is, as also explained below, burdened by several disadvantages. First, excessive time is required for measuring the amount of electric power consumption. Second, an excess amount of electric power must be spent in order to measure the consumption itself. Third, the method does not produce accurate and excellent analysis of the data collected by the method.
The following patents are considered to be representative of the prior art, and are burdened by the disadvantages set forth herein: U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,966 to Lee, entitled Meter For Measuring And Displaying The Power Consumption Of AN Electrical Appliance And The Time Period Of Such Power Consumption, U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,686 to Choi, entitled Method Of Controlling An Operation Of An Automatic Ice Maker In A Refrigerator, U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,503 to Moe el al., entitled Adaptive Load Cycler For Controlled Reduction Of Energy Use, U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,303 to Wernicki, entitled Method And Apparatus Providing Minimal Power Consumption, Indication Of Savings And Fault Detection, U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,507 to Powell, entitled Control System For AN Air Conditioning/Refrigeration System, U.S. Pat. No. 5,315,236 to Lee, entitled Power Consumption Meter For Displaying Electric Power Consumed By Appliance And The Time Period Of Consumption, U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,026 to Powell, entitled Control System For AN Air Conditioning/Refrigeration System, U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,179 to Powell, entitled Control System For AN Air Conditioning/Refrigeration System, U.S. Pat. No. 5,168,170 to Hartig, entitled Subscriber Electric Power Load Control System, U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,324 to Otoh et al., entitled Defrosting Controller For Refrigeration Systems, U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,141 to Hart et al., entitled Non-Intrusive Appliance Monitor Apparatus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,567 to Bakanowski et al., entitled Method For Testing The Operability Of A Refrigerant System, U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,211 to Pettis, entitled Watt-Hour Meter Display For Informing Consumer Of Energy Consumption, U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,325 to Chiu et al., entitled Self-Diagnostic System For An Appliance Incorporating AN Automatic Icemaker, U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,474 to Wolin, entitled Freezer Accidental Defrost Warning Device, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,393,662 to Dirth, entitled Control System For Refrigeration Or Air Conditioning Installation.